I'm about to get a Linux phone, but I have a few questions.
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@opino72 The main limitation of Android ports is that we have to keep the kernel version it comes with. We can't upgrade the kernel because some of the hardware support is working just for a specific version and it will break functionality. The Pinephone uses the latest version of the kernel without needing any proprietary blobs to be updated, because it is made to run Linux phone OSes by default.
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@Keneda okay thanks! I can get a 64GB, I think it will be enough. My current smartphone has 8GB+16GB SD (Alcatel Idol 3). I love this phone hardware so much, I wish I could have Linux on it.
@Capsia Okay! Does that mean that it will become obsolete soon? Or will the updated apps continue to work on that older kernel?
Also, I found this page on Gitlab about what works and what doesnt on the Pinephone with UT: https://gitlab.com/ubports/community-ports/pinephone#what-works-what-doesnt
But I cannot find one for what works and what doesn't on the OPO.For example I'm concerned about hardware accelaration, OpenGL stuff; I don't play games on my smartphone usually but as I'm a game developer if I can create an open source game for Ubuntu Touch it would be so cool, and it would kind of be my contribution to this community.
Also I can't find if someone reported the UHD 30fps or 4K 24fps video capture to work on the OPO (this is what it's capable of under Android). -
@opino72 said in I'm about to get a Linux phone, but I have a few questions.:
@Capsia Okay! Does that mean that it will become obsolete soon? Or will the updated apps continue to work on that older kernel?
This is yet to be seen, but if the OPO doesn't get any of the big updates (newest QT, and move to the latest Ubuntu LTS) then theres a good chance that you wont get up to date applications, however that might depend on what needs the applications have, and how many users are going to be stuck on 16.04.
you wont get any of the KDE applications if you dont use an up to date version of QT however.
Its safer to get a PinePhone because not only does it have one of the newest kernels thats supported by Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, and it makes you feel more snug because you're financially showing your support for linux phones, and $10 of the money you spend, gets sent to the UBports foundation.
However if you'd rather a OPO, feel free to go for that, I just don't know how long it will continue to receive updates and support.
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@PhoenixLandPirat
The question is when 20.04 will come to UBports?@opino72
I have a MX4, one of the first supported device with UT, old and new apps on open store worked for a long time (maybe 18 months) on the old canonical OTA 15 (2017).
I just switched on UBports OTA 11 two weeks ago, because it was really deprecated, even open store app itself was not able to update, but phone itself and apps already installed was fully operationnal. -
@opino72 said in I'm about to get a Linux phone, but I have a few questions.:
Does that mean that it will become obsolete soon? Or will the updated apps continue to work on that older kernel?
This question has been answered in the latest Q&A 74:
https://ubports.com/fr_FR/blog/notre-blog-1/tag/ubuntu-touch-q-a-3The blog version is no online yet but you can watch the video there:
https://youtu.be/w0_fzvfVfXs -
Thank you for your answers, once again!
So I'm trying to buy a used OnePlus One to discover Ubuntu Touch and I guess if I fall in love with it I might be ordering a PinePhone soon after because it's appealing.
Also if someone has anwsers about my questions on 3D acceleration and video capturing on OPO.
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Another question : does the mobile network operators available differ from one phone to another or are they all supported equally on all Ubuntu Touch phones?
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@opino72 said in I'm about to get a Linux phone, but I have a few questions.:
Another question : does the mobile network operators available differ from one phone to another or are they all supported equally on all Ubuntu Touch phones?
Here in France that only depends on wich baseband your phone supports and if operators support it.
Virtually all opérators are availables for me with MX4, but some 4G baseband i can't access because MX4 doesn't support it. -
@opino72 Think there is only an issue with some sim providers in USA on certain devices.
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Ok nice! I'm planning on using a OnePlus One or Pinephone with Orange or Free (France).
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i have an LBRY app coming soon (trying to work through sign in issues), other than that, i think your app needs are mostly covered.
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@opino72 said in I'm about to get a Linux phone, but I have a few questions.:
Ok nice! I'm planning on using a OnePlus One or Pinephone with Orange or Free (France).
https://forums.ubports.com/topic/4213/new-to-ubports-nexus-5-or-pinephone/6
Same for OPO as for N5 i believe.
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@opino72 not yet...i wanna get things working before i open up a new repo.
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A last update :
I considered all the options and I was convinced by the dev speed of the various distros for the Pinephone.
Yesterday I ordered the latest version of the Pinephone with the extra 1GB RAM (peace of mind) and the dock (yay convergence!)
I will probably test the Postmarket OS for a few days and then flash Ubuntu Touch on it as I need it to be my daily driver.Thank you everyone.
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@opino72 said in I'm about to get a Linux phone, but I have a few questions.:
A last update :
I considered all the options and I was convinced by the dev speed of the various distros for the Pinephone.
Yesterday I ordered the latest version of the Pinephone with the extra 1GB RAM (peace of mind) and the dock (yay convergence!)
I will probably test the Postmarket OS for a few days and then flash Ubuntu Touch on it as I need it to be my daily driver.I too have been impressed with the development speed, especially on Ubuntu Touch which has one of the most complex software stacks of all of the OSes being ported to the PinePhone. I feel however that you should temper your expectations of how daily-drivable it will be. Marius was asked in the last Q&A how long it would be before the UT experience on PinePhone would be as smooth as on one of the existing devices (the Nexus 5, I believe), and he said "months."
So it may be a while before the PinePhone is well-rounded on Ubuntu Touch. Calls, data, and SMS work (though not MMS), as do many Ubuntu Touch apps, but GPS requires a lot of setup and is evidently still flaky (I've not tested it yet myself), Anbox doesn't work, Libertine doesn't work for GUI apps I'm told (per what one of the UT developers said on Telegram yesterday - again, it's not something I've tested), etc. There are frequent application crashes, recurring sound issues, speaker phone and mute in calls aren't working, and there is the occasional spontaneous reboot.
It will be a month and a half or more before the PMOS edition phones ship, and there could be a lot of progress in that time, but I'd be careful not to let your expectations get too high. Eventually these phones will be amazing, but right now the software for them is still very much in progress.
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@trainailleur said in I'm about to get a Linux phone, but I have a few questions.:
I'd be careful not to let your expectations get too high. Eventually these phones will be amazing, but right now the software for them is still very much in progress.
I agree with that.
But to nuance it I'd say that in a matter of weeks the PinePhone will get the Dev->RC->Stable channels ; at the moment being "edge", instability is expected, so problems occurs, are solved and sometimes re-occurs.
But IMHO the quality process will help a lot with the feeling of progress and stability. -
@AppLee said in I'm about to get a Linux phone, but I have a few questions.:
@trainailleur said in [I'm about to get a Linux phone, but I have
But IMHO the quality process will help a lot with the feeling of progress and stability.It should help with the stability for sure.
(I should add that stability has already taken great leaps and bounds forward in the few weeks I have been testing my BH; I can barely imaging how it must have progressed since the time when the BH shipped.
)
